Driving with "Due Regard" for others

[spenac]

Yeah the driver needs to drive, and only drive. No talking on the radio, the cell phone, fumbling for the siren switch. The passenger needs to do all of that. And both sets of eyes need to be outside. You can start your report later................

But who's got the patient? :oops: :shock: :roll:

[flight-lp]

I was referring to responding to the scene. As far as transporting goes, call en route to the ER prior to leaving the scene. No other radio traffic should be required. Most ambulances have a hands free mode, this is a prime time to use it. Besides, very few actually require L/S to the hospital despite a very high overusage by EMS types...............

[Richard B the EMT]

It would be nice, but no VOX transmit radios on my department's budget.

[brentoli]

I won't lie. I talk on the phone alot while driving my car. Too much. But I never answer it driving the ambulance. My duty and responsiblity is 100 fold in the ambulance.

Talking on the radio, we can get away with that. You usually only need to mark enroute to destination and arriving at the destination. Granted you can do that stopped.

I hate driving emergent to the hospital. My neck needs some better ball bearings to swivel on.

[katbemeEMT-B]

Ambulance driving safety is a great point. It needs to be addressed more often. Instead of just handing over the keys to someone and stating have at it.

If you have a problem with me examining the facts befor making a decision on guilt, I am sorry. I dont automaticaly place blame on someone, till every side of the story has been heard. Your article didnt make it clear as to who was at fault.

The article may not have made it clear who was to blame as it was very skewed. I did however, offer facts that cleared up the gray areas by stating that the ambulance had a stop sign and the car did not.

A new article in the paper today claim a witness has come forward stating that while the ambulance had their siren on three blocks before the intersection of the accident, they did not have it on at this intersection. He is accusing the ambulance attendants of lying to cover their butts. This is what I had originally heard also but at that time it wasn't from a reliable source. I think this witness would know as he was in his yard when the truck flew by him lights and no siren and entered the intersection.

It's going to be interesting how this all plays out. I will keep you posted.

[Richard B the EMT]

My EVOC Lieutenant is totally upset with many in FDNY EMS, as they travel to almost IN the intersection, and all they do is "blip" the siren. Per policies and directives, when in motion with lights engaged, siren should also be engaged.

Per an insurance investigator who spoke at a seminar I attended, sirens, if being used, should be on a minimum of 300 feet from an intersection. Most intersections in NYC are 200 foot from each other.

With that in mind, I am amazed, with daily call volume from NYPD, FDNY, FDNY EMS, and other agencies that are authorized for L&S usage, that all us NYC residents are not deaf.

(Let me beat the jokers to the punchline..."WHAT YOU SAY?")

[Dustdevil]

And sometimes the cops just fark it up, even with reliable witnesses. In my accident (I was not driving), the cops told several witneesses to leave because they did not need them. And the main witness they relied on for their case said we were "running red lights." The cop actually presented that to the DA and the Grand Jury as though we had run through a red light. We had to get the witness to come back and clear up that he was NOT saying we had run through a red light. He was saying we had the red lights running on our truck! Despite the worst efforts of the stupid cops to prosecute for manslaughter, my driver was no-billed.

As for the hands-free thing, I am pretty sure that flight-lp was referring to the siren, not the radio.

[Richard B the EMT]

Sirens can be operated, depending on how the ambulance conversion company (the folks who add the ambulance body to the chassis) rig the setup, either through the horn button or ring, or a floor button next to the old "dimmer switch," or on the passenger side. Some have floor buttons on both the driver's and passenger's side.

Not knowing there's a button on the passenger side can have some amusing moments, like when you blast, unintentionally, of course (riiiiight!), the chief, as he walks by the front of the supervisor's SUV.

OK, my levity is over, any ambulance versus person incident is serious stuff.

[Dustdevil]

Some have floor buttons on both the driver's and passenger's side.

Not knowing there's a button on the passenger side can have some amusing moments...

Back in the early-mid 80's, we still had a few ambulances with mechanical sirens in addition to the electronic siren. The floor buttons (both sides) operated the mechanical. One busy afternoon we caught a run for an MVA several districts away. As we left the station and entered traffic, I hit the floor button. The mechanical siren wound up full blast and stuck there. It would not release. Mind you, we can't hear the radio or even each other in the cab with that thing peaked out. So, during the ensuing ten minute response, I am trying to rip the foot button from the floor and cut the wires. I got that accomplished about halfway through the response, but the siren just kept wailing. Now we're on the freeway and can see the lights of the accident about a mile ahead and are now going completely deaf. As we finally coast the last 100 metres to the scene -- where there are already several fire trucks and two ambulances -- with the engine shut off, hoping that would kill the siren. It didn't. Before we came to a complete stop, my partner was already trying to shift the unit into park so he could kill the ignition. We're now just a few metres from the scene, siren still wailing at full peak, and every cop, fireman, medic, and involved party on the scene is now standing and staring at us wondering why the F*** we won't turn our siren off. As the truck finally grinds to a stop, both doors fly open as we both jump out and climb on the roof of the cab. My partner is beating the siren with a MagLite while I am hacking at the power wire with my trauma shears. Cutting the wire finally stopped the siren, slooooooowly.

Turns out that immediately after we had checked enroute to the run and turned on the siren, dispatch had disregarded us. Unfortunately, we couldn't hear them over the siren.

[JPINFV]

Sirens can be operated, depending on how the ambulance conversion company (the folks who add the ambulance body to the chassis) rig the setup, either through the horn button

It doesn't matter if most people, including numerous FTOs, don't know how the fark the hands free works. That said, EVO training is the best time to TEACH the person running the 'mock Code 3 intersection' station how it works.

:? :? :? :roll: :roll: :roll: